The Northwind is a personal website and blog for the exploration of the personal interests, the adventures, the successes, and the trials of its author. You'll find subjects from history, politics, and activism to technology, media, and video games.

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Oct 22 Unfashionable

I am by nature not ostentatious. I've never been able to muster much enthusiasm for the nuances and transient trends of fashion. I don't have the patience or the will to spend a great deal of time keeping up with trends even within the countercultural communities with which I identify. In the past I have by and large opted for the least expensive items that I feel meet a minimum standard of quality, easily replaced and almost universally bland.

If I intend to change this approach, and maintain only the wardrobe I really need, with concessions to some surplus for emergencies, travel and the like, each of those items needs to be a much more meaningful decision. If I only own six shirts, they have to be of quality, but also they need to be shirts that I really enjoy wearing. I'm also still on a budget, but can balance this by replacing clothes as and when it becomes convenient or necessary. In short, I have to consider the aesthetic that I wish to portray and be far more selective.

This is pretty alien to me.

It's not that there are no styles that I particularly like, it's that I've never had to apply them to myself before. I feel like the unlucky in love romantic comedy character staring down the barrel of a make-over montage. I am teetering on the very edge of my comfort zone, and while realising that this is a silly and trivial part of the grand scheme I am not entirely certain what I'm doing.